Scarlet Emperor Runner Bean

Beans are fun, fast-growing plants that take little care to perform well.

It makes sense to inoculate beans before sowing, which boosts the nitrogen levels of your garden soil with no work whatsoever. Inoculant is available at garden centers.

Sow bean seeds about three or four inches apart in the row around the third week of May. Thinning is not necessary, but do keep the plants weeded, especially when young. Pole beans often bear for many weeks, continuing to set pods until frost.

For most tender green beans, harvest when young, slightly thicker than a pencil. To harvest dry beans, let the plant mature; pods will dry on the plant towards the end of summer. Pull the brown pods off the vine and store in a dry place until the shells are crisp and easy to open. Or, pull the plants up by the roots and allow them to dry. When the pods are brittle, shake plants back and forth inside a plastic garbage can; the beans will release from their pods and settle in the bottom of the pail.